RpmSURFER; Is dedicated to assisting Surfers, and all of our Athletes & Teams of Action Sports achieve their highest level of Success in the business of Pro sports by Marketing & Promotions including close Sponsorship contact & Public Relations.
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In early 1969 two weeks before Lonnie was Drafed into the US ARMY Lonnie got his first race car drive since retiring from Quarter Midgets in 1964 (turning over the Quarter Midget ride to Ron "Sleepy" Tripp for the next two years) Lonnie driving a 3/4 Midget for his Father (Red Caruthers) at the El Torro Speedway, Ca. during a USRC 3/4 Midget event, Racing against the then now Verterian 3/4 and Full Midget Racers like his Cousin's Jimmy & Danny Caruthers and Bobby Olivero. Then after the Army in late 1971 Lonnie's Father asked him if he would rather leave the beach/surfing life and get back to Racing, Lonnie said "Not yet Dad." So Bobby Olivero (B.O.) kept the 3/4 Midget & full Midget rides from 69 thru 72 then in 1973 B.O. got the first L.T.C. VW USAC Midget ride (the brianchild of Red Caruthers) that revolutionized Midget Racing and a VW Midget won every Championship for the next 10+ years. In 1974 Ron "Sleepy" Tripp took over driving the LTC Research 240hp VW 800lbs USAC Midget with Lonnie's Father remaining on the sidelines guiding Sleepy all the way to his first of 3 National USAC Championships.
Note: L.T. "Red" Caruthers, Founder of L.T. C. Research, was a small race car building business that was more for fun than for profit, with the idea that Midget Racing shouldn't cost the small guy an arm and a leg to do what he/she loved to do, RACE! Back in the 70's You could buy a race ready L.T.C. Midget ready to take to Ascot Park for Turkey Night for less than 1/4 the cost of a Midget motor alone cost you today.
After doing a full racing season building race cars and GoFor'ing and rolling in the dirt changing quick change gears and stagger tires for Drivers like Gary Bettenhausen, Jan Opperman, Bobby Olivero, Larry Rice, Sleepy Tripp, Danny McKnight, Bubby Jones and Bob Wente Sr. Once again during the Turkey Night Race at Ascot Park, CA. in 1975 Lonnie's Father asked him if he would like to come back to driving racecars, the answer was a Loud & Re-sounding "YES". Lonnie then restarted his racing with USRC California Midget Racing Club where the likes of his Famous but sadly now Late cousins (Indianapolis 500 driver Jimmy & Danny Caruthers) first renewed their racing after Quarter midget racing as did Indianapolis 500 driver Bobby Olivero, 3 time USAC National Midget Champion Sleepy Tripp and many other now famous OPEN WHEEL racers came from. Lonnie won the prestigous "Rookie of the Year Award" in 1976 with USRC and then the 1977 National "Rookie of the Year Award" with the United States Auto Club "USAC". Lonnie's personal favorite wins were the USAC "Indianapolis 500 Speedrome" and Down Under... The "New Zealand Grand Prix" both in 1982. However his first Feature Win (of the over 200 Feature Wins) in racing remains his favorite of all... it was at the Jelly Bean Bowl, Anaheim, Ca. at the ripe ole age of 4 1/2 years old in 1953 racing against his cousins Jimmy & Danny Caruthers as well as Bobby Olivero, Johnny Parsons Jr, Poncho Carter and so on.
Note: The "Jelly Bean Bowl" Track was a Fast 1/10th of a mile high banked clay dirt track (the very first and largest Quarter midget track in California) that Lonnie's uncle (Doug Caruthers) owned that was dedicated to kids and next to his RV/Trailer Factory. The property is still known as a place for Children of all ages and is now best known as a little place called Disneyland.
After he retired in 1989 as a Driver, Lonnie and Paula continued to be involved in Racing Promotions & Marketing working with Race Drivers, Sponsors and Race teams. Lonnie, after Paula's passing in 1998 went on to pull off the biggest "Chili Bowl" Promotion to date by presenting an all Female Blonde and Blue Eyed Race Team including the Driver, Anne Coppel in 2002, the team was called "The Blonde Squad" MORE at RpmSURFER website, thats dot com.
Note: That was the same year (2002) USAC/IRL/NASCAR's Tony Stewart won the Chili Bowl Event. Tony is now a 2 time winner of the Chili Bowl winning it once again this year 2007. I need to get with Tony, he has his own Jet we could use, hahaha Working on getting him down here in Puerto Escondido, Mexico but the guy is way busy.
Ps: Lonnie's Second Love "SURFING"
Started racing race cars at age 3 1/2 and learned to Surf during the Summer of 1959 on a Family Vacation in Hawaii at age 10. It just happened to of been the year a rare Hurricane hit Hawaii and 10 year old Lonnie looking out his Hotel window watching surfers riding huge 20 to 30 foot high waves in Waikiki of all places... that the Love of Surfing was born deep inside of him, after that... the love for the Ocean has always been a deep part of his life. Lonnie returned to the North Shore, Ohau to surf during the winters of 1966, 67, 68, 71, 73, 74, & 75, then Lonnie & Paula Winter vacationed at the Turtle Bay Condo's (North Shore, Ohau) from the early 80's thru the late 90's.
In 1964 at the ripe old age of 15 1/2 Lonnie retired from racing after 12 years of racing 1/4 midgets (age 3 to 15) to presure his other love: SURFING... and surfed every beach and cove up and down the California coastline he could get to and hooked up with long time friend Woody Woodworth in 1972 for 3 more full years of Surfing Safari's including returning to Hawaii and surfing the Bonzi Pipeline, Sunset beach and other breaks together while Woody was learning his way around a camera.
In 1974 Lonnie was the featured surfer in Woodys first published photo's in an article titled: "Spotlight on a Rubber Duck" in Surfer Magizne. 29 years later in 2003 Woody asked Lonnie if he would like to merge his Racing Business talents with the Surfing world... So now there's a 4th RPM office based in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca Mexico (Famous MEXPIPE surfing area). Now building our rpmSURFER Stars... we are limiting it to a max. of 8 Surfers, not counting our young chargers. We also hope to do other Surfing Events and many more with Ms. Brandy White, Owner/Founder of Mexpipe Surf Company.